Season's End

 It was the last farmer's market of the year at the beach so we decided to go have a look. The first thing we noticed was all the new sand. Micheal did a number on the shore so a new layer had to be put down.

 I went looking for signs of fall. There wasn't much. None of the houses on the boardwalk were decorated. I guess I'm not the only one who's not feeling Halloween this year.

There were big beautiful mums to buy but I wasn't tempted. The ones I bought last year were brown skeletons by Halloween.

 There weren't many vendors. Most of the ones that showed up were peddling booze and food.

The Mister got an amazing Apple Ale. I drank half of it after taking just a sip. I'm not usually a fan of craft beers but this one was good.

We are sure going to miss our favorite booth.

I'll have to wait until next year for another Bumbleberry Pie. That's apples, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries.

 I'm also going to miss fresh apples.

 My best purchase was a pizza from the pizza oven on wheels. I had never seen them before.

 Look at that perfect little Margarita pizza. It was yummo.

I hope the paella vendors come back too. All year I said I was going to try some and I never did. It smelled heavenly.

 Ditto for the Kettle Korn. I never brought home a bag even though it was always on my to do list. I guess I'll have something to look forward to next season.

Last Chance!

This is the last day that I can make soap to have it ready for the Winter Holiday Giveaway-minus the Valentine's Day batches. I am still waiting for those fragrances to show up.

I've got several new fragrances to show off. This one is Sugar Plum and it really is yummy. I have no idea what a plum should smell like but I would eat this.

 Spiced Cranberry is so much nicer than the cranberry I have used in the past. It's sweeter with a hint of cinnamon.

 Milk and Cookies smells like shortbread with a touch of lemon extract.

 Silver Birch and Juniper is a walk in a snowy forest. A tiny bit of pine but not enough to smell like a household cleaner or a man's soap.

This is another loaf of Sleigh Ride. I loved the first loaf but the scent was very mild. I wanted to see what would happen if I added the recommended amount for a change. It did stiffen up the batter which made me have to layer it but I think it turned out rather pretty. Now I want to see if this scent holds because I really like it.

As I said...it's the LAST DAY to sign up. HERE is the original post that spells out all the details.

 And you know I never ask for anything in return. Just taking the soap off my hands so I can make more is thanks enough but from time to time something shows up as a surprise. This came all the way from Wyoming. It's a pen.

Yep. Inside this hand beaded case is a pen. Imagine that. It was made by crafters at the Wind River Reservation. Thanks, Nancy! It is most appreciated-and admired.

Off and On

 It's the end of the road for the latest dish towel.

 Off it comes. This is always a big moment. It still scares me.

 Cutting it off seems like it is just asking for trouble but it never is.

The really scary part is looking at the under side to see what boo boos you made. I didn't see any.
Whew.

 I'm not very good at this hemming thing but it's just a dish towel so close enough is good enough.

It's a big one. Just over 36 inches before hemming.

After a few washings it will shrink a bit and look better. Here's the official mugshot after one wash. It's nice and soft.

Now to get these crazy Raven colors on the loom. I can't wait to see what this one looks like.

Kitty City

 Finally we got the day I've been waiting for. It was cool and breezy with no humidity.

It was an open the window day. We haven't had one of those in ages. I was curing some newly cut soap in the breeze. I'll tell you all about it on Saturday.

 So how did we spend our day? Mucking out the cat huts. On Monday I bought a car load of pillows to make kitty sleeping bags.

I make a little tent out of the pillows and insert this kennel heater in the middle. It keeps the kitty just the right temperature. It doesn't get too hot. We have four heated huts for our little friends who refuse to come in at night in the winter.

First we have to get rid of all the old bedding. I cycle the inside kitty's cat beds and blankies to the outside cats every year and buy the inside kitties new things.

It's not really cold enough yet for the pillows or the heaters to be turned on but we wire them up so we are ready. It won't be long.

We used to have them all up on the deck but this year we separated them into different areas of the yard. They seem to not be getting along as well as they used to. The new kitty that showed up last winter has upset the hierarchy of power and it always takes a while for them to settle in after a new member shows up. Mommy Kitty and Hoover used to beat the stuffing out of each other two years ago now they eat out of the same bowl. Cats. They are just the weirdest critters.

Fabulous Loot

 When Daughter went to Vegas she found a yarn shop and brought me home some goodies. I just got them yesterday when SIL handed them over to The Mister during a golf outing.

 There is a pretty pink sock yarn and a multi bulky weight.

The bulky has a hat pattern where you knit from both ends to make stripes. Cool.

And....look at this darling little project bag. All these goodies came in a gorgeous Cirque du Soleil bag that she picked up when she saw O. All this fabulous loot and I didn't even do the kitty sitting this time, The Mister did. As soon as I am over this miserable itch I'll have to cast on those socks for Daughter to thank her. Maybe the hat too.

Itchy and Scratchy

 I was all fired up this morning to get the sleeves on my sweater and start the final journey to the neck.

One row in and it was all over. That wool on my poison ivy covered arm was not working. The other side of my arm is even worse but I'll spare you the gory details. You should see what used to be my elbow. I guess I won't be working on this for a while.

 I've got plenty of other things to do until it heals. The baby quilt is sandwiched and ready for machine quilting. As soon as this two day headache goes away I'll get started.

 The binding is all done on Daddio's Thangles quilt. It's a pretty big one. I didn't realize it until I sat on it.

I am almost on the last border on his Dresden quilt. It's going to feel so nice to have all his projects finished. I am getting close.

I've got the centers done on my autumn batik quilt. This is not going to be the same as the baby quilt. It starts out the same way but then those square are going to join up in a different way. I haven't exactly figured it out quite yet. I've got some thinking to do.

Fall Has Fallen and That's Not All

 We discovered the source of the big boom we heard the night Micheal came to visit. This is the root ball of the tree that went down on the path behind the house. It's taller than me.

We had to laugh because at first we thought this little tree had made that huge crash. You can't tell but it's laying on the roof of our neighbor's shed. There are two other branches that are sticking up straight up in the roof. I hope they don't have anything important in there.

 It was fallish enough to put up the Halloween stuff.

I didn't put out all the stuff. I'm still not really feeling it. Something is still off. It is cooler but it's damp and gloomy and it gave me a headache. We went right from AC to having the heat on.

 This is an odd sight. My impatiens were huge this year. They didn't bloom much but they are still hanging in there. They are usually gone by now. The ghost isn't happy they are in his usual spot.

The Mister treated himself to some holiday spirits. As soon as this headache is gone I'm taking a shot.

I did manage to bake the best loaf of bread I have ever made in my whole life. I bake bread all the time and I have no idea why this loaf is so much better than the others. I did use different flour-King Arthur's bread flour. I did have a shorter rise and a wetter dough because I was in a hurry. I also baked it at the same time I was baking a huge piece of salmon and a dish of eggplant parmesan. Maybe it was all the steam in the oven or maybe it was just meant to be. It was light and crusty and just amazingly good. I am going to be sad if I can't do it again.

I also got started on the autumn batik quilt because I have some things finished-but that's a story for another day.